bus
noun
a large motor vehicle, having a long body, equipped with seats or benches for passengers, usually operating as part of a scheduled service; omnibus.
bus
1 American
[buhs]
/ bʌs /
noun
-
buses,
plural
-
busses
plural
-
a large motor vehicle, having a long body, equipped with seats or benches for passengers, usually operating as part of a scheduled service; omnibus.
-
(formerly) a similar horse-drawn vehicle.
-
a passenger automobile or airplane used in a manner resembling that of a bus.
-
any vehicle operated to transport children to school.
-
a low, movable filing cabinet.
-
Also called busbar. Also called bus bar,. Electricity. a heavy conductor, often made of copper in the shape of a bar, used to collect, carry, and distribute powerful electric currents, as those produced by generators.
-
Computers. a circuit that connects the CPU with other devices in a computer.
verb (used with object)
bused,
bussed,
busing,
bussing
-
to convey or transport by bus.
to bus the tourists to another hotel.
-
to transport (pupils) to school by bus, especially as a means of achieving socioeconomic or racial diversity among students in a public school.
verb (used without object)
bused,
bussed,
busing,
bussing
idioms
bus
2
American
[buhs]
/ bʌs /
verb (used with or without object)
bused,
bussed,
busing,
bussing
bus.
3
American
abbreviation
bus
British
/ bʌs /
noun
-
Sometimes called: motorbus. More formal name: omnibus. a large motor vehicle designed to carry passengers between stopping places along a regular route
-
short for trolleybus
-
(modifier) of or relating to a bus or buses
a bus driver
a bus station
-
informal a car or aircraft, esp one that is old and shaky
-
electronics computing short for busbar
-
the part of a MIRV missile payload containing the re-entry vehicles and guidance and thrust devices
-
astronautics a platform in a space vehicle used for various experiments and processes
-
to miss an opportunity; be too late
verb
-
to travel or transport by bus
-
to transport (children) by bus from one area to a school in another in order to create racially integrated classes
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bus1
First recorded in 1825–35; short for omnibus; bus 1 def. 6 short for omnibus bar
Origin of bus2
First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from busboy
Explanation
A bus is a long vehicle with many seats. An elementary school student might save a seat on the school bus each morning for her best friend. A city bus carries far more passengers than a private car, which makes it an efficient form of transportation. When bus is used as a verb, it means to transport by bus, sometimes in an effort to desegregate a school district: "The city will bus students from this neighborhood to the other side of town." It also means "to clear a table" in restaurant lingo, which is often done by a "bus boy" or a "busser."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Fire officials said they believe the fire started in the engine area and crews found cargo and propane tanks inside and underneath the tour bus, according to KTLA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
One person died after a tour bus caught fire on the 60 Freeway near Hacienda Heights on Friday morning, according to authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Planned measures include reducing the frequency of bin collections, closing heritage attractions, ending bus routes and - in the case of one council - completely removing sheltered housing support.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“This is the fastest VW bus on the island,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Then the bus beeped outside their house and, as usual, Danny was the first one out of the house.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
"There were no other vehicles involved -- only the bus. And that bus caught fire... we are currently trying to determine the precise reason why this happened," Papaux told reporters.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
"It's something we've talked about a lot on the tour bus. That would be fun."
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2026
“Now we’re driving the damn bus. I want you to understand what your power is.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024
“We want people to benefit wherever they live, including in less-dense, rural areas. The point of transit is not to have a bus. The point of transit is getting people where they need to be.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
“Here’s your bus. Have a great day, Melody. I’ll see you tonight.”
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
The mayor ran on a campaign platform of affordability, pledging to raise taxes to cover services like universal child care, and free and faster buses.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
"Disabled people need to get to work and need to live their life as well," he added, describing buses as a "lifeline" particularly for those in community who cannot drive.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Carman said there are 400 or so hydrogen buses and trucks on the roads, and he has faith in new, smaller production plants and stations eventually opening to serve them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
They ride campus buses without paying a fare.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
As the day passed, cars and buses kept stopping alongside the moving procession, discharging new marchers who had flocked to Montgomery to walk the last few miles to the capitol.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
Long before cars were common and busses were running, residents still got around on the backs of their horse carts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Before long, her Instagram page was filled with photos from Wimbledon and double-decker busses.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
“What moderates are worried about is not just the ideas that he has run on like free busses and, you know, grocery stores, that kind of thing,” Bennett said.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2025
He said the elderly were evacuated on busses to hotels or other care facilities.
From Reuters ● Aug. 23, 2023
It will only take two busses and lots of hours to pick up my mother and come back.
From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
In August 2024, Novo Nordisk bused its employees to the sprawling Roskilde fairgrounds outside Copenhagen for its annual summer party.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Once they were registered, the families with their bags and their pets were bused to Lozova station, to board a long train heading for Lviv in western Ukraine.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
When soldiers are returned to Russia, they are bused from Belarus, bordering Russia and Ukraine, where most exchanges occur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 22, 2025
Last September, before being bused to Eastern prison, I spent five days inside H Block.
From Slate ● May 19, 2025
At that point, 2,900 of the 3,200 marchers were bused back to Selma, where many would stay as guests of black families until rejoining the marchers near Montgomery.
From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman
“Sound of Freedom” had church groups busing to theaters to watch the movie in hordes.
From Salon ● May 3, 2026
The dispute over busing divided the city, and was especially opposed in the San Fernando Valley, where Docter lived.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025
Working long hours doing a bit of everything—right down to busing tables—Meyer ate one at the end of almost every lunch shift.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Daryl, 42, a self-described conservative, lived in several Southern communities as a child, including Charlotte, North Carolina, in the mid-1980s as the city wrestled with its court-ordered school busing program.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2025
He had been a superintendent for a number of rural school districts in Mississippi, where he had spent his life forming busing systems and magnet schools to better integrate the black and white students.
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Evacuees from surrounding villages were bussed in to shelter in sports halls around the capital.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
When we were done, we bussed our own tables and sorted our garbage from our recycling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
Instead she was bussed over the border from Belarus into Lithuania with 51 other political prisoners.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
Instead, they were taken by military plane directly to Panama, did not go through customs upon arrival and were immediately detained in the hotel until they were bussed to the camp.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2025
My parents were about to exchange their brief Christmas kiss, the only time they bussed in front of us, when Mother remembered the presence of the minister and ducked her head in embarrassment.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
For much of the week, Lira is either in the kitchen working as a prep cook or in the dining room bussing tables.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025
That money's up to over $100 million today, but the point is that with all of the negotiations, all that prospecting, the guy that was bussing the table had the most money in the room.
From Salon ● May 18, 2024
In another Texan border city, Laredo, the manager of a community centre described to the BBC how border agents were bussing migrants and asylum centres because they were "overwhelmed".
From BBC ● Feb. 29, 2024
Other cities that have received immigrants through bussing include Chicago, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 20, 2023
I even like bussing tables in the restaurant, chatting with guests when I have a chance, and swapping stories with my coworkers.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
